Peace in our Hearts
by happynfluffy
Summary: Rumple is done with Killian


Notes: I don't own the characters. This will be AU once the new episodes air...but I my brain and heart needed it fixed now.

"Don't make me do this. They will find out and they will stop you. I can't do this anymore. Just crush my heart and be done with it Crocodile." Killian is desperate to make this madness end. He cannot continue being Gold's puppet. It is chipping away at him more and more each day.

"Ah but we have not finished our fun yet. Soon I will be released from the dagger and you will be gone with no one to mourn your death. I do so love that I was able to dissuade them from the notion that you had changed into a good man. They will be so relieved that you are no longer around to get in their way." Rumple taunted Killian.

Killian was desperate, almost willing to beg, "Please just don't hurt Emma or Henry or their family. Just kill me and leave this place. Let them live in peace."

Rumple sneered, "You do not tell me what to do. We are almost done dearie. It is time to put the final pieces together. Your torment will not last much longer and neither will you. It is a good thing I never killed you when I had the chance. Now go!" He shoved Killian towards the door and exited after him.

Neither noticed a shocked Henry standing just inside the back room. He had seen his grandfather holding Killian's heart and heard the whole conversation. He needed to tell his moms. He was about to run out the door when he ran into Belle as she was entering the shop.

"Henry, where are you off to in such a hurry?" Belle asked.

"Belle! Mr. Gold has the dagger. He has Killian's heart and he is going to crush it. We have to get help!" Henry almost shouted in his excitement.

Belle shook her head, "No Henry, I have the dagger right here. Why would he take Killian's heart? I know you really liked him, but Hook is a bad man. Why are you blaming Rumple?"

Henry grabbed Belle's purse and reached for the dagger inside. "I'm telling the truth. Use this. Call him to you. I know it's a fake."

Belle took it hesitantly but did as Henry asked, "Dark One I summon thee." She waited and when Rumple did not appear, she tried again. After a third try she looked at Henry with tears in her eyes. "Why would he lie to me?"

Henry shrugged, "I don't know but we have to save Killian. Mr. Gold is going to kill him. I have to get my moms!"

Belle nodded. "Henry, you go get them and I will go talk to Rumple. Do you know where they went?"

"They were going into the forest. I think near the well. Please hurry!" Henry said as he ran out the door.

Rumple and Killian had made it to the spot. Rumple tied Killian to a tree with his magic and began his preparations. There was a table with various potions laid out on it by a boiling cauldron. Killian's heart and the dagger sat next to it as well. Rumple gathered water from the well and poured it into the cauldron along with the potions. He picked up his dagger and walked over to Killian.

"Time for your last goodbyes dearie. Do you have anything you want to say?" Rumpled laughed at his own joke.

Killian glared, "Not to you crocodile. Just get on with it." In his mind, he kept chanting _I love you Emma. I'm sorry I broke my promise._

Rumple picked up the heart and studied it. "You know, for a notorious pirate, this heart barely has a spot of black on it. It seems your reputation was not earned, Hook." He kept peering at the heart. "Well, well, well, what do we have here." He pointed at a gold band circling the heart. He cackled maniacally. "It seems the pirate has _twu wuv_."

Killian swallowed and closed his eyes. Rumple poked his heart with the dagger and he cried out in pain. He just wanted the torture to be done. If this would keep Emma and her family safe, he would die a thousand deaths.

"STOP!" He heard someone shout. He looked up and saw Belle across the clearing. "Rumple stop this."

Rumple jumped back in surprise. "Belle, what are you doing here?"

"Rumple, don't do this. Don't kill him" Belle pleaded.

"Belle dear, he is a bad man. I am merely trying to protect the town. He was going to try to bring evil on the town by capturing all the good magic in this hat." Rumple said as he flourished the hat from the air.

Belle shook her head. "I know about the dagger. Henry saw you forcing Hook to do what you wanted. I don't think he is the bad man here."

Rumple thought for a moment. "Henry is just a boy. He must have misunderstood what he saw. No run along and I will be with you shortly after I have disposed of the trash."

"Don't do this Rumple. I believed in you. I thought you had changed but you lied to me. You only care about your power. You never cared about me, did you?" Tears were streaming down her face.

"I will be free of this dagger!" He shouted. "I only care to be rid of the control over me. To wield my power however I see fit."

Belle turned to run away but felt a magical force hold her in place. "I cannot let you warn the others. Belle don't you see it will be different once this is all done. You will see."

Rumple magically held Belle in a spot next to Killian. He picked up the heart again and took the dagger up. He gathered his thoughts and looked up at Killian. "This might hurt a bit" he said. Then he took the dagger and split the heart in two along the golden line. Killian screamed in agony while Belle sobbed. Rumple looked at the golden line and pulled it away from the heart and into a little ball.

"This bit will only get in the way" he exclaimed with glee and set the golden ball on the table. He stabbed at the two pieces of Killian's heart with little motions designed to hurt. Killian was panting and yelling from the pain it was bringing him.

Belle reached over and grabbed his hand. "I'm so sorry Killian" she said.

"Not. Your. Fault." He squeezed out between bursts of pain. Rumple stopped for a moment to fiddle with the hat and potion. "I've no right to ask but could you do me a favor?"

Belle nodded, "Of course."

"Tell Emma that I died loving her to my last breath and beyond. Tell Henry that I was proud to know him and that he is a special lad. Tell them all that I was not in control of my actions and I am sorry I hurt them." Killian drew in a deep breath and then let it out in a scream as Rumple poked his heart with a particularly vicious thrust.

"Now Hook" Rumple sneered, "It has been fun but I am rather bored with you." He picked up the hat and put it on his head. His whole body began glowing with an eerie red light. He dropped the dagger into the cauldron and picked up one half of Killian's heart. He dropped that into the cauldron. Killian screamed once more and then darkness enveloped him as he went unconscious.

Belle watched as a burst of white light came from the forest and hit Rumple in the chest. Then she saw Emma, Regina, and everyone else coming out of the forest.

Rumple cackled, "You are too late! Nothing can stop me now."

"We'll see about that buddy" Emma replied. She nodded at Regina just as Rumple threw magic at them. Emma countered it and the spell meant for her bounced into the trees. It was enough of a distraction that Regina made it to the other side so that Rumple was between them.

"Gold, I think it is time that you disappeared." Regina quipped. She and Emma unleashed white magic on Rumple. He found it difficult to fight them both off in this position. As they were holding him in their white light, Henry came up behind him.

"Now kid!" Emma yelled.

Henry grabbed the hat from Rumple's head. Rumple's cried out and his whole body began to shake. The hat began glowing and swirling in Henry's hand. He jumped back and dropped it. Then the hat sucked Rumple in. Regina and Emma looked at each other in a bewildered fashion. The hat then began smoking. All of the stars on the outside began disappearing and the hat burst into flames. In seconds, it was nothing but ash.

"Whoa, was it supposed to do that?" Emma asked.

Regina shook her head as she grabbed the dagger from the cauldron, "I don't know. But look, the dagger is blank as well." She conjured a fireball and sent it to the dagger. When it was done, the dagger was nothing but a hilt with no blade. "I think the Dark One is no more."

Emma rushed over to Killian, who was still unconscious, "Killian! Can you hear me?" She asked as she untied him.

"His heart, Emma" Belle said with a shaky voice as she too was untied by David.

"What did he do?" Emma asked.

Belle told Emma that half of the heart was in the cauldron and that Rumple had pulled the gold band from it as well. Emma went over to the table and reached into the cauldron, pulling out the half that was in there. It was a dull red color and looked like it had been drained of life, unlike the bright red and glowing half on the table.

"Regina, what do we do? Can we fix this?" Emma asked hopefully.

Regina sighed, "Let's get everyone back to town and I will see what I can find."

Emma nodded. She gathered the two halves of Killian's heart and the golden ball and placed them gently in a bag. David, Robin and Little John carried Killian out of the forest while Snow comforted Belle.

Once back in town, Emma made sure Killian was tucked safely into her bed at the loft before she went downstairs. Regina had just returned from her vault with a large book.

"Well?" Emma said apprehensively.

"It appears that there is a way to save him. We have to re-energize the half that was submerged in that cauldron and then put the pieces back together. And it requires one other thing…" Regina hesitated.

Emma was frustrated, "And that would be what?"

Regina looked at her for a moment and then replied, "True Love's Kiss."

Emma was shocked. She knew she loved him and she should have figured out what was wrong with him. Instead it had been too easy for her to believe the worst of him and to think that he had not changed for the better. He had needed her for the past few weeks and she had pushed him away yet again to protect herself when he had been the one who needed protection. She knew she loved him but was afraid that it was not True Love. What if she took a chance but couldn't save him?

"Miss Swan, this is the only way to bring back the pirate. We can be merciful and crush his heart or we can try to save him. If we leave him in this state, he will experience countless tortures before he finally succumbs to death." Regina stated.

"No. We can't crush his heart. We can…" Emma hesitated and swallowed, "We can try. What do we need to do?" She felt her dad's hand on her shoulder and it helped to comfort her.

"I was able to find this potion in Gold's shop. We have to pour it into the broken half of the heart." Regina said.

Emma nodded, "What is this potion for?"

"It is a restorative potion made from "bottled hope" according to the records." Regina said.

Emma poured the potion and watched as the heart slowly began to glow a bright red again. She smiled a little, "It's working!"

Regina nodded and picked up the second half of the heart, "Now, we need to attach them together. You do it as your light magic is stronger than mine." She handed Emma the pieces.

Emma tried several times but the heart would not stay together. She was beginning to think they had failed. "Why won't it stay?"

Belle cleared her throat and everyone looked at her expectantly, "Emma, I think I know what it needs."

"Ok, what are we missing?" Emma asked.

"Do you see that golden ball?" Belle asked as she pointed to it. Emma nodded and picked it up as Belle continued, "Rumple called it True Love. I think it is Killian's love for you. It was in the middle of his heart and Rumple pulled it out. I think if you put it back in the middle then the heart will stay together."

Emma looked at the golden ball in her hand. A tear slipped down her cheek. Then, with renewed resolve, Emma took the 3 pieces, placed them together with the golden ball in the middle and focused on her magic. A white light glowed from her hands and surrounded the heart. When she was done, the heart sat renewed and almost brighter than before she began. The golden band was stronger and Emma smiled at the sight.

She and Regina went upstairs and Regina instructed her on how to place the heart back in Killian's chest. Emma did so with gentle caution and smiled when she felt it beating in his chest. She looked at Regina.

"Now you just have to do the last step and it should bring him back" Regina said.

"What if it doesn't work?" Emma asked.

Regina thought for a moment, "Emma, you have to believe in your love. Your parents are always talking about hope and you have to have it here. As much as I have given you grief about it, this man loves you. You saw it in his heart. I cannot tell you what is in your heart, all I can tell you is that love is worth letting down your walls even when it is painful."

Regina left the room. Emma studied Killian for a moment as she gathered her emotions. This man had climbed the highest walls she could erect. He had been unwavering in his devotion to her. She could not imagine a life without him in it. They had experienced bumps in the road of their relationship but had always come out stronger in the end. She took a deep breath and leaned down to kiss him.

As her lips met his, she thought about how much she loved him. She poured every ounce of her strength into him. A wave of magic extended outwards and she gasped in surprise when she felt his hand in her hair.

She pulled back and sighed in relief when she saw his blue eyes staring back at her. "Emma" he said in awe.

She could not hold back the hug and as she did so she said, "You are alive! Killian I am so sorry I believed that you were bad again. I should have known but I was too stubborn to see it. I promise to believe in you more."

Killian chuckled, "Emma love, it's alright. I would have told you if I could but it is over. I told you I am good at surviving."

Emma started to cry, "You almost didn't. I don't know what I would have done if you had died thinking that I did not care."

"Darling don't cry," Killian said as he sat up and hugged her close, "My last thoughts were that I love you, Emma Swan. I did not think poorly of you. I love you and I always will."

Emma just cried harder and Killian held her close. After her sobs subsided, she pulled back and stared into his face. He started to fidget and look away and she held his jaw in place with her hand.

"What is it love?" he asked.

"Killian Jones, I love you." She said and she smiled so brightly that his heart practically sang. He scooped her back into another hug and both were finally at peace in their hearts. The gold band in both hearts expanded to twice their size and after years of heartbreak felt like they were home.


End file.
